The Missing of Clairdelune: Book Two of The Mirror Visitor Quartet

oh MAN was this book amazing. i liked the first one, but a mutual of mine on goodreads told me that i was going to like the second one even more and they were absolutely correct. the characters are so very compelling. ophelia grows so much as a person in this book; even moreso than in the last one. she's still my favorite character and reminds me in a lot of ways of lyra from his dark materials. this whole book series is reminding me more of his dark materials, the locked tomb, and a ghibli movie the deeper into it i get!! thorn, who was also my favorite character in the last book, became even moreso in this book as well!! what he said at the end omg ;-; also just everything that happens with him in this book was so *chef's kiss* AMAZING!! i've been able to basically guess everything that has happened in terms of his character, but it doesn't detract from the story itself at all. i loved fox in the last book, but, again, i loved him even more in this book!! same with gail and mother hildegarde and berenilde and even farouk!! farouk in particular is interesting and everything that happens with him in this book is what had me reading wayyy up into the night, which, bc i have chronic fatigue, i haven't done in years. the knight tho....i wanted that kid dead i'm not even going to lie. i Did feel a bit sorry for him in the end, but good lord was that kid getting on my nerves. the setting itself is beautiful, just as it was in the first book. so much of this book reminds me of castle in the sky or howl's moving castle!! i want to live on one of the arks so bad omg <33 in theory, living on them sounds beautiful (tho knowing me with my fear of heights, i would lose my mind actually living on one of them fdashjk). the plot itself is compelling and suspenseful and, like i previously mentioned, keeps you reading way up into the night and thirsting for more!! truly i can't wait to start the next book because i can Tell it's only going to get more intense from here. the writing style is very classical in the sense that it reminds me a lot of the books i read as a kid and a teen that stuck with me the most when i was that age. the linework is incredible and i couldn't guess anything that was going to happen despite being pretty good at that normally!! i did manage to guess a few things, but that didn't detract from my enjoyment at all whatsoever. all in all, if you're looking for a steampunk book that reminds you of studio ghibli films, but with a bit higher stakes, i HIGHLY recommend this!! my last comment: OH MY G-D!!! and i mean that literally. 😉

In great condition, excited to start reading

The plot of book two of The Mirror Visitor series, is already pretty thick at the conclusion of A Winter's Promise, and now continues to thicken. Our heroine, Ophelia of the Animist clan, finds herself embroiled in a mystery that threatens her new friends in Clairdelune and turns violent against herself. All while grappling with the haughty enigma of her fiance, Thorn. While the charming characters continue to deepen their relationships and reveal layers of trauma in a very satisfying way, the political intrigue/mystery aspect is a bit murky and yet somehow superficial. It does, however, work to provide a pretext for Ophelia to be thrust into a place of great responsibility. The real mystery---that of who destroyed the original Earth, and why Lord Farouk is missing so much of his memory, provides the true backbone of the unfolding story arc and is truly imaginative and tantalizing. I'm giving this installment 4 stars merely because it ends on a very abrupt cliffhanger. The writing is as excellent as ever and I am eager to continue the series.

As far as second installments go, The Missing of Clairdelune is great. The plot advances, the characters progress, and the narrative voice is consistent. I do want to remind readers not to expect rapid-fire movement with this series. Christelle Dabos seems to be one of those authors who is content and confident to set her stories on simmer, and what you end up with is rich and savory. This manner of story-telling certainly won’t satisfy everyone, especially if you prefer authors to manhandle their characters and stories a bit more. But if you liked the subtle ingredients of the first book, then you’ll definitely like this one. This time around, a new but unseen enemy emerges while prior enemies become allies. There is a more immediate mystery overtaking the Citaceleste and it’s time-sensitive. (Note: the ‘missing’ in the title is not a verb, it’s a noun). But it all ties into the overarching mystery of the Arks and the ancestral guardian spirits. To the best of her ability, Ophelia manages the never-ceasing threats to her life, with the result that she Figures Some More Things Out. Meanwhile, Thorn’s layers steadily begin to peel, revealing a complex individual indeed. I am really hard-pressed to come up with any significant criticisms—the story just swept me away. But as I felt with the first book, I think the translation can at times take you out of the world. For example, there were definitely a few action sequences toward the end that I had to re-read and a few lines of dialogue will seem strange every now and then. Fair warning: Clairdelune is surprisingly emotional and ruthless in its ending cliffhanger. If you don’t like cliffhangers, then I would suggest holding off until we get closer to September, when the 3rd book is released in the US.

It is a wonderful story and hard to put down. I cant wait to get into the 3rd and final book.

Christelle Dabos... I am hooked!

Im loving this series but my books will soon have no title on them poorly made covers

I found the first in the series a little hard to follow and confusing, but this one was worth working through the first. Where the first felt a little like work, this one was like taking a breath of fresh air. The story wasn’t as hard to follow. I had some previous investments in the characters. I find Ophelia to be a very likable character bc she is written very original and true to herself. She is not the swoony heroine, but she is resilient and capable, but still flawed and stubborn. I like that the romance is explored and present but not dominating the plot in any way and the build and tension is perfect. I wish there was more interaction between them but I can see why it’s not a focus. It’s not Ophelia’s focus and that’s really authentic to her. I found the whodunnit part of the story so compelling and I am so excited to see where the 3rd picks up.

This one is way better than the first for me. Ophelia is really showed her self more rather than staying inside herself. I was so proud of her. Surprisely, Archibald is growing on me with his friendship with Ophelia. We learn more about Ophelia and Thorn about their past and the whole mystery surrounding him. The slow burn between these two has me on my toes and that ending!!!! Now I’m just waiting for the audiobook is be available on Libby :) can’t wait!

È il secondo capitolo, e la mia amica è stata molto contenta di averlo ricevuto visto che il primo l'aveva fatta impazzire. Molto bella anche la copertina e come si presenta

I devoured this book in less than two days. This is easily sneaking its way to the top of my favourites.

“You don’t seem fully to grasp the destabilizing effect that someone like you can have on someone like me.” ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨/5 I will not lie, i spent two almost three weeks with this story, but not because of lack of interest. I was so into this, like i’m the main character and needed time to sit a little bit and simply breath. Second book is much more politically oriented than the first one. We dived deep into mix of court intrigues, mysteries, disappearance of aristocrats, unpredictable Spirit of the Family and love. And don’t forget about GOD. Part of the book can be named a detective, where we had a task to investigate. So thrilling, especially high stakes and deadline which is around the corner. The romance in this part progressed, but Ophelia is still not sure what she feels and thinks about her fiancé Thorn. I’m totally enamored with him and his grumpiness, while Ophelia is not. I really liked the development of family dynamic. It was heartwarming to see how her silent father supports her, how her mother wants to save her, how idea of ‘ideal court’ slowly lost all the shine for her sister. I simply can’t, they are so cute. I cannot wait to see what awaits our pair in the third book, and what new scenes i will see in english version.

Do you know this feeling when you know that a book you’re reading will become a favourite? When you wake up, eat, sleep, breath...constantly thinking about this book. When you love the characters and the world so much you just want to jump into those pages and live there too? Yeah? That’s what this book was like for me. I loved this even more than the first book. This might be due to the fact that we got SOO many Thorn scenes. But just MAYBE, OKAY?! 👀 This book just had me in his clutches and I flew through it. The story got more and more intense and I was so riveted by it, I nearly forgot to eat. All these secrets slowly unfurling and new revelations made my brain explode. I loved it!!! Also it was so so funny sometimes, I snorted with laughter! I also loved the character development of...everyone? But we especially got to know Ophelia and Thorn better and I loved how they interacted and learned from each other. And Ophelia grew up so much in this book? I applauded her many times for finally standing up for herself! Also: how she cares for everyone and is concerned for them and they’re just so...surprised?! Like „What? A decent human?! Here???“. Love it! 😂 Can’t wait to get the next book in my hands ASAP!!!